Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-28
SPANISH PROVERB.
A SAYING THAT HAS PROVED PROFOUNDLY
TRUE.
An Interesting Writing on the The Road Of
Bye and Bye Leads TO the
House Of Never"

The Spaniards have q proverb: THE
road of Bye and Bye leads to the house of
Never" Il is profoundly true. If the
old Jewish custom of writing some sentence
Of holy writ on a piece of parchment and
wearing it on the forehead, or over the
heart, could be revived the phylactery
should be inscribed with the words Of the
proverb the writer has quoted and put
upon the brow of every youth in the land.
Reconstruction is not only the thief Of
time, rs the poet had il, but it is the be-
setting folly Of the time. 1t is the laziness
Of the mind as distinguished from muscular
l~aziness. Bodily disinclination for exertion
may he the result Of physical weakness or
of incapacity. But the putting of until
tomorrow, or the mex day, or the next
week, or the next year of things that may
be done to day is all operation Of the will.
As small children put off their easy tasks
tor the violent delights Of play, so child.
ren of larger growth put of study and all
u iOo that u pS uuuCIEVuCI III
the requirement of knowledge, and as they
finally grow older and find they must bring
up the arrears of past neglect they keep
on in the old habit by falling behind
their immediate duties in all the relations
of life. They die in arrears, owing to SER
vice to their friends, to their associates and
to society. Ii they do not also leave be-
hind them unpaid debts OF minor and
trust it is generally because they have
lived long enough 10 wear out their cred
it.
II the boys and girls could but he
brought to see and believe what the grand
mothers and grandfathers know by sad
experience there might be n salutary
change. If dotiug parents could be in-
duced TO insist on the prompt performance
Of proper tasks, not so much on account OF
the necessity of the labor as in order TO the
formation of the habit Of doing nj once
whatever may be proper and possible to
do without delay, what future pain and
modification might he avoided.
The proyerb is true. Bye and bye leads
TO the house OF Never. There is absolutely
no such thing rs recovery of lost time and
lost opportunity. What is put aside one
day pushes aside something else the next
day, and so on until the final day il
reached. Every procrastination works an
irrepressibls change in the life of the pro-
crastinator. What he should do" is con-
~tinually carried forward in the book of the
Recording Angel in order to make room
for What he does do" As no day comes
to any of us that does not bring its full
share of new responsibilities, the to-days
are never adequate for the neglected busi-
ness of the yesterdays. Once in debt "a
time the debt remains TO eternity.
The school-gi in who does not learn To
read and write and spell aud sew and do
homework, neglecting her opportunities
to acquire such useful knowledge, is fitting
herself for a washer woman if there be no
money to be left to her by her parents.
If they should have money TO leave her
she would not know how to take care
OF it, and would probably be some mans
incompetent wife and possibly drudge or
dupe. The schOol-boy who neglects his
studies and prefers fishing, baseball and
inordinate play 10 the requirements of ru-
dimeutary knowledge will not he iii even 10
Ntll CtIts u III hOi ilaht ~ 'OllItbsuN
weaver or blacksmith. He must enter
into the fields of unskilled labor and take
his chance of doing the rudest work for
the smallest pay. IL he should have n
fortune left him he would only know how
TO spend it, and lie would be in great dan.
ger OF degenerating into n tramp, or fall
ing into that ever open pathway where,
40 to speak, a man walks down his "
throat until he brings up in the gutter.
That the writer is putting down the evil
ways of proCrastinatiOn with a black pencil
it is evident. Not every one who procras-
tinates is in danger OF perdition. Pro-
crastination in things proper and necessary
To be done is only spoken Of here. To de
liberate upon what is proper to do Is the
part of wisdom. To hesitate after the
proper course has been determined in ac-
cordance with ones reason and conscience
is the perilous thing which il Ia pirticu.
larly desired To warn yOung people against.
The writer knows of M single thing which
is so threatening TO the future OF
American youth. We have arrived
at that condition of national o%pulence
when there is no longer a hard necessity
to drive young people forward in the strug-
gle for life. Oar children enjoy q permis-
sive option 10 do or not 20 do which was
not permitted or permissible 10 the chill
drcn of the foreiathers. The result Is most
apparent in the half-knowledge and half
helpfulness which il becoming a distin'
gushing characteristic Of this generation.
We have too many idlers who need 10 be
pushed into industrial and mental actiyi-
ties. If they should be allowed TO wait
until hunger and n~akedness would push
them the fault would be only partly theirs.
Men and women are responsible for the
men and women that come after them.
That Bye and Bye leads TO the house Of
Never" is the proyerb and a truth that
non Of us may with safety igoore.